The Traveler
by thek9kid
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to Draco After the War? Will he go to Azkaban? Will he be let go? Will he run to a different country or stay? R&R please!


**A/N: Hi guys, I got to thinkin' about what happened to Draco after the war ended. Thus a story was born! I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Do you really think I own Harry Potter? If I did I wouldn't be writing this here. HP belongs to JKR and whoever owns the rights to the movies.**

When the war ended there were three reactions: relief, grief, and from some of those who were on the wrong side, fear. I felt all three. Relief that the war was finally over. Voldemort was out of my house, and that I wouldn't be forced to do anymore god awful things. Grief, I knew my father was going to be in Azkaban for the rest of his life. He got off before they weren't going to let him off again. My mother I wasn't so sure about, but I may have just lost both of my parents. Lastly, fear, I have no idea what my fate is going to be. Would I end up in Azkaban for the rest of my life? If I didn't where would I be? No one's going to hire an Ex. Death Eater like me. Honestly, I am a mess of emotions.

When I was younger, I wanted to be just like my father, in some ways that was good. My father was well off, a good career, loving wife, and an adoring son. He was manipulative and got what he wanted. On the other side of my father was the Death Eater side, the intolerant side, the cruel side. I emulated him, it was what I knew, I was comfortable and safe in my father's beliefs because no one questioned him.

Being a Death Eater was always a far off, distant cry from reality. Even though Father said Voldemort would be back, I never quite believed him in that one. Voldemort was dead, no one can come back from that. Then he was back, he was in my house and I saw him with my own eyes. What I saw was not the face of a leader who would cleanse the world of impure blood. What I saw was a crazy, sadistic hypocrite. Being ashamed of his own half blood background and trying to make up for that by purging the world of the filthy blood from which he was born. His red eyes were always filled with hate and malice no matter what he was looking at. He had no nose, which was just plain creepy, and his actions spoke louder than all the words, stories and rumors combined. The first thing I saw Voldermort do was torture and kill a mudblood. I may have teased and called many muggle borns by that name, but no one deserves to feel the pain of the cruciatus curse, and yes I have felt it before, but that's a story for another time. Her screams will always be ringing in my ears, followed by the screams of those after her by Voldemort's, other Death Eaters', and my own hand, wand really. After that I wanted to flee, run away, I'm no Gryffindor. I didn't want to stay and be a spy or something, I wanted things to go back to the way they were. But that wasn't going to happen, in the end I had no choice. If I refused the mark he'd kill my family and me, and I didn't want to die. I was 15 for Merlin's sake! Nobody wants their parents to die either, not really, unless they're really horrible, but I did not want my mother nor my father to die. So I took the mark, I half heartedly tried to kill Dumbledore, and ultimately Snape had to do it for me. Don't think for a second that Voldemort forgave me for my incompetence. He didn't punish me himself either, he made my father do it. He made my father torture his own son. If I had been crazy enough to follow him willingly, I hadn't, but if I had, his actions right there turned me off him for good. If I could have left, I would have, but he would have found me and killed me, not by the green light emulating form the red eyed monster's wand. No, he's not a merciful lord after at all. He would have fed me to Nagine or let Greyback eat me, the wolf was always eyeing me hungrily, I think he had a thing for blond haired, grey eyed boys or something considering his diet. No one could just desert red eyes and live to tell the tale. Was I going to tell anyone this? No, why would they believe me?

Now here I am sitting in a dingy, dank and dark cell, 6ft by 8ft, in the bottom of the Ministry. Just where I imagined myself in 5 years when I was a third year, I think sarcastically to myself. Remember all those emotions I described earlier before I was sidetracked to how I got to those emotions? Yeah, well, I'm still feeling them. I have no idea of my father's or mother's trial results, which I'm sure were a mockery of justice, they've already made up their minds, in the 'light's' eyes we're all guilty.

I'm slowly going insane. I have no idea how long I've been here, it could have been 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, 5 years, 5 million years. Okay that last one may have been an exaggeration. The only human contact I've had is seeing the hand of whoever slips my food in the slot in my very homey cell, seriously it's just like back home, if I lived in a cave.

Just as I'm starting to see unicorns dancing on the ceiling of my homey cell, the door opens. Ahh the light! IT BURNS! Seriously though my retinas are trying to dilate they're way out of my head.

"On your feet Malfoy." One of the charming guards orders. When my retinas stopped smoking, I can actually see two guards. One is plump and short with a very nasty case of acne and the most ugly expression on his face. The other is a tall string bean, he looks like a good wind'll blow him over. He also has the most revolting expression on his face as well. His eyes are beady slits, lip curled, crooked, yellow teeth bared. Before I have a chance to, String Bean yanks me to my feet and out the door.

"I can stand on my own, you barbarian!" I know you think I'm an idiot, why make a bad situation worse? Because, dear reader, insults, and sarcasm are the only weapons I can currently use.

String Bean doesn't respond, man, I can't get a good rise out of anyone 'round here, I've tried. It's like they have seminars on how to completely irritate prisoners. One, don't make eye contact. Two, don't respond to insults or sarcasm. Three, speak as little as possible. Honestly, whoever thought of that is an evil genius, the git.

Well if they won't talk to me I'll just entertain myself. "Are you sure you're even wizards, because if you were why haven't you tried to rearrange your facial features to something less revolting?" No response, Stringy just keeps dragging me down the hallway. Ah well this was to be expected, hey look the unicorn's back! Merlin, I really am going nuts. Now I'm being dragged into the lift, yay it's trial time. Goodbye Ministry, hello Azkaban, I have no hope of getting out of this. There is no one that would even defend me, let alone testify on my behalf, not that I've done much good for them to have witnessed.

There's the courtroom door, is it just me, or is it really 20 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and somehow smiling like it wants to eat me? Probably just me. Stringy shoves me inside, and like the slytherin I am I regain my balance gracefully, and regally walk to the chair designed to hold the prisoners. I sit down, the chains snap in place, and even though I'm in chains I still manage to look like I'm sitting in a throne, when I really want to vomit.

In front, and like 5 feet above me is, the Wizengamot, the Jury, other spectators, reporters, and… Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley? Why are they here? Probably just come to see me when I'm absolutely powerless.

"State your name for the court, please." a Deep Voice from above calls, I look up. It's Kingsley Shacklebolt. Huh, maybe I'm not so screwed after all. Shacklebolt is actually a fair man, not some revenge seeking nutter. He was one of the few people of the light that I actually knew, he worked with my father, and respected.

"Draco Malfoy." I simply respond, I know not to smart off in court, only answer what is asked of you.

"How old are you?"

"17."

"Are you aware of the crimes you are accused of.?"

"Yes."

"Were you a follower of Voldemort?"

"Yes."

"Have you used any of the unforgivable curses?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No." There was a slight murmur at this one, but Kingsly kept on rolling.

"Do you admit to attempting to kill Albus Dumbledore, and accidently cursing Katie Bell, and poisoning Ronald Weasley?" Weasley shifted slightly at that.

"Yes."

"Did you do these deeds willingly?"

I hesitated a moment and thoughts of the threats to my parents and myself, should I tell them? Would it make a difference?

"Technically, yes."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"I wasn't under the Imperius Curse, but if I didn't do what he asked he would have killed my parents and myself." my voice cracked at the mention of my parents. The murmur of the court was louder this time. I saw the Golden Trio huddled together, whispering. What were they up to?

"So you joined the Death Eaters because Voldemort threatened yourself and your parents?"

"Yes."

"Was there anyway you or your parents could have escaped?"

"No, Voldemort finds and kills all deserters." More mumers.

"Do you have any witnesses or evidence to support your claims?"

"Only Death eaters."

"Is there anyone here that wants to speak on behalf of the defendant?"

To my astonishment, Potter stands up, "Malfoy saved my life." Very loud murmurs this time. "When we," he gestured to Weasley, and Granger, "were captured at Malfoy Manor, and Malfoy Senior asked Draco to identify me he didn't. When we escaped he didn't try to stop us." Potter sat down, and we locked eyes for a second, his emerald green to my stormy grey, I nodded slightly, he nodded back.

"Is this true?" Kingsley turned back to me.

"Yes."

"Alright, Jury take time to confer and come to a unanimous agreement." The jury leaves. They're taking forever, and it's silent, no one's moving at all. Man I'm more bored than nervous. Maybe something like 12 Angry Men is happening, yes I read muggle books, wizarding fiction is so cheezy. My nose itches, I scrunch it up, doesn't help, I lengthen it out, doesn't help.

"Excuse me?" Every eye turns to me, "Could somebody scratch my nose, please." It's silent for a while.

"Okaay," Kingsley says, "Percy, go scratch his nose." Percy looks up from writing his reports, mortified, but does it anyway. Percy walks over and scratched my nose, "A little to the left." He looks at me, sighs and goes to the left. "Thank you." He walks away. Weasley starts laughing, then Potter and Granger, eventually the entire room is bursting with laughter.

At that moment the jury comes back in, completely baffled by the laughter engulfing the room. Slowly the laughter dies down.

"Jury, have you reached a verdict?" Kingsley inquires of the jury, still smiling and trying to contain his laughter.

The lead juror, a short, stocky man, he's wearing glasses and an unreadable expression on his face, stands up.

This is it, I'm either going to rot in azkaban forever or not. Merlin the anticipation is killing me.

"Yes, your honor, we have," The juror pauses for dramatic effect, for the media, of course, "We find the Defendant, Draco Lucius Malfoy, guilty."

My heart sinks down through the earth and into space.

The juror continues though, " on the account of the attempted murder of Albus Dumbledore, and the use of the cruciatus curse. But because of the circumstances surrounding his involvement with Voldemort, and the act of saving Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley we have lessened his punishment from life in azkaban to 2 years community service. He will be on parole during those 2 years with mandatory wand checks with the Ministry and his place of residency shall be searched on a bi weekly (every other week) basis." Throughout his statement the murmurs in the room have gotten louder and louder, until the juror has to shout over the din to be heard. Kingsley banged his gavel on the gavel banging thingy on the podium.

"Order in the court!" Kingsley shouts. A silence covers the crowd. "Draco Malfoy, you are hereby released from Ministry custody. As you know, Malfoy manor and it's grounds have been seized from you and your family's possession, and half of your family's gold has been seized as war reparations. But your personal vault has not been touched. Good luck in the world Draco Malfoy."

Holy Merlin, I'm free, I'm actually free, well sort of, I'm under ministry parole for two years, and community service, but that's not too bad. The chains start to rattle violently, and for a second I'm scared the chair might disagree with the jury and decide to eat me. But then the chains release my wrists. I slowly stand up, everyone else in the room has started to move around. I glance over to Potter, Granger, and Weasley, making eye-contact with each and giving slight, barely perceptible nods to each.

Two Aurors in their full out riot gear escort me out. The corridor is dark and silent. We enter the lift that should really be renamed The Rocket. As the lift (Rocket) reaches the atrium I can hear the media already, when the doors open they storm towards me. Both Aurors take up positions on either side of me, and push through the screaming crowd of reporters, and Haters, people who would have preferred the Ministry to just line us all up and kills us by firing squad, honestly, wizards should learn muggle history especially the second World War because they're acting like Hitler right now.

I can't understand a single word anyone is saying, but I can distinctly see three beams of wand light rocketing towards us, all three of them green, all three heading towards me. Shit, I just got off the hook, kinda, just to get killed by haters. My life sucks. The two Aurors tackle me to the ground, and we crawl to a ministry desk and use it as cover. The two aurors peering around and shooting out spells, damnit, I have nothing to defend myself with, they confiscated my wand from me, and I was just about to get it back too, then this shit happened. I reiterate, My. Life. Sucks.

**Wow! This got pretty long huh. Well I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, don't worry more is to come. It's just the when I'm not so sure about. PLEASE give me feedback, I love hearing from you, the reader. Did you love it, hate it, do you feel like jumping for joy or punching a hole through your computer screen hoping to punch me in the face as well? I sincerely hope it was the first or third reaction. But review regardless, just no flames please!**  
**TTFN!**  
**K9KID OUT**


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